Liberal government must answer for health care crisis

May 16, 2018 at 12:11 pm

Progressive Conservative MLAs Eddie Orrell, Alfie MacLeod, and Keith Bain are calling for an immediate response from the Liberal government to address the backlog at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital over the weekend – but they aren’t overly optimistic they will do something.

The emergency departments at the Northside General Hospital and the Glace Bay Hospital have been closing due to ongoing staffing concerns. With nowhere else to go, people are travelling to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. As a result, the hospital has been unable to admit people.

“People are getting turned away at hospitals because there are no beds for them,” said Northside-Westmount MLA Eddie Orrell. “The Cape Breton Regional Hospital is a wonderful facility with hardworking staff – but what do we expect when this hospital was never meant to accommodate all of CBRM?”

Victoria-The Lakes MLA Keith Bain worries that these closures could impact the ability to handle a serious emergency on the Island.

“Emergencies don’t always happen between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” said Bain. “The staff at the Regional are struggling to keep up with the demand. What will they do when a serious car accident happens and there are no beds for these people?”

Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg MLA Alfie MacLeod says the reckless and irresponsible inaction by the McNeil Liberals is putting the people of Cape Breton at risk.

“This disregard for the health of Nova Scotians makes me sick,” says MacLeod. “If this government doesn’t act soon, they will be answering for more than a backlog in the CBRM hospital. I hope they have the stomach for that.”

A full list of hospital closures can be found on the Nova Scotia Health Authority website.